The Creation of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala: Miscalculation by a ‘Corporate Mafia State’?
This paper traces the development of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). A UN affiliated hybrid International-National quasi-judicial entity, CICIG was mandated to help investigate and prosecute organized crime groups in Guatemala and was heralded as an important step forward in the fight against impunity. This paper explores the often heard narrative that human rights groups successfully convinced first the Portillo administration and then the Berger government to agree to support CICIG, and analyzes alternative rationales. The paper suggests that the Portillo government sought to derive short term benefits from supporting the agreement but may have miscalculated in its assessment of long term risks. The Berger administration clearly derived benefits from the agreement, including the reinstatement of certain US military aid, as did the Colom administration. The paper also suggests that despite its mandate to strengthen national investigations and the judiciary system, some of CICIG’s greatest successes were achieved through public actions and the eventual resignation of the founding Commissioner Castresana. The paper concludes that even though CICIG’s institutional reform efforts have been piecemeal, they are significant nonetheless.
Addressing Past Violence: The New Brazilian Truth Commission
Leonard Ghione argues that the Brazilian truth commission has a strong legal mandate to achieve the goal of creating an authoritative historic account of the country’s violent past. Its main challenge will be coping with the limited number of staff and the long period of time it must cover. The goal of national reconciliation in Brazil will require not only the unearthing of the truth but also the unearthing of a conflict that has been systematically negated until now and is part of Brazil’s culture of violence. If the commission succeeds in unearthing this underlying negated conflict, it will increase public pressure against the amnesty law, which may eventually lead to its revocation in the long term, contributing to a less violent society.
Costa Rica’s Emphasis On Cars Challenges Environmental Narrative
Key terms: Costa Rica, Tourism, Environmentalism, Transportation, Car Culture
US influence in El Salvador’s civil war
US influence in El Salvador’s civil war Author: Oscar Alvarado Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 03/06/2009 In El Salvador the rich and powerful have systematically defrauded the poor and denied eighty percent of the people any voice in the affairs of their country. A revolution is now underway and we are one […]
War and Peace in El Salvador
Colette Hellenkamp delves into the complexity of violence in El Salvador, touching on both obstacles and potential pathways to constructing a culture of peace. Her analysis highlights the challenges of outflow migration, socio-economic and power inequalities, governmental ineptitude in addressing root causes of violence, rampant gang activity and organized crime, as well as El Salvador’s history of military dictatorship and violent civil war.
Women in the Nicaraguan guerilla movement
Key Words: Nicaragua, Samoza Dictatorship, Latin America, central America, Revolution, Gender Analysis, Violence, Non-Violence
(Not) Learning from the Past
(Not) Learning from the Past Author: Peter Krupa Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 03/15/2006 Category: Editorial Imagine a country with a lot of oil and a lot of poverty, where one political party has control over every public institution. That party is led by a former military man who was once jailed […]
Colombia: the good news
The internal pacification process in much-troubled Colombia has taken an important step forward. The recently concluded agreement between the Government of Colombia and the so-called United Self Defense Forces (AUC – often described as Colombia’s paramilitaries) for the gradual demobilization of the latter has come as a relief to many. It is not relevant to argue here whether or not “the paramilitaries pose the greatest threat to Colombian democracy …” (Foreign Affairs, Volume 8, No. 5) more so than the guerrillas (especially the FARC, who have conditioned advances in peace negotiations, amongst others on the government’s dealings with the AUC). The fact is that the government has successfully concluded an agreement – on paper. Peace-building is as difficult as peace-making, if not more so. Colombia is aware of it. It needs assistance.
Colombia’s Peace Communities
The author argues that if more and more communities in Colombia followed the path of protesting peacefully against the brutal and aggravating conflict, the Comunidades de Paz could well constitute a bottom-up way to peace in a political setting where top-down approaches such as leadership declarations and negotiations have continuously failed. Non-violent protest, however, takes enormous courage.
And you would think they’d listen…
Camilo Acero discusses the massive, peaceful protests in Colombia which were organized by Oscar Morales through a Facebook group called “One Million Voices Against the FARC.” Approximately four million answered the call.